Tag: report

Monthly Research Review-January 2023

~ Simon ~ Leave a comment

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At the end of each month the SoPD writes a post which provides an overview of some of the major pieces of Parkinson’s-related research that were made available during January 2023.

The post is divided into 10 parts based on the type of research:

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So, what happened during January 2023?

In world news:

January 1st – Croatia adopts the euro and joins the Schengen Area, becoming the 20th member state of the Eurozone and the 27th member of the Schengen Area.

 

January 10th – Researchers reported the discovery of a second potentially Earth-like planet in the TOI 700 system is reported using data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS – click here to read more about this).

 

January 12th – Two groups of researchers present data in mice demonstrating the manipulation of the aging process (Click here to read more about this).

 

13 January – A study of ancient DNA supports or confirms that recent human evolution which led to increased resistance to infection of pathogens also resulted in increased risk of inflammatory disease in post-Neolithic Europeans over the last 10,000 years (Click here to read more about this and click here to read a press summary).

 

January 27th – This day was declared the wettest day on record for Auckland (New Zealand) with 258 mm (10.2 in) of rain exceeding the previous record of 161.8 mm (6.37 in). A “tropical atmospheric river” parked itself over the city and caused widespread catastrophic flooding:

In the world of Parkinson’s research, a great deal of new research and news was reported:

In January 2023, there were 997 research articles added to the Pubmed website with the tag word “Parkinson’s” attached. In addition, there was a wave to news reports regarding various other bits of Parkinson’s research activity (clinical trials, etc).

The top 5 pieces of Parkinson’s news

Continue reading “Monthly Research Review-January 2023” →

Being ABL to make a strong case for Inhibikase

~ Simon ~ Leave a comment

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At the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in October 2015, the results of a small phase 1 clinical study were presented and the Parkinson’s community got rather excited by what they saw.

The study had investigated a cancer drug called ‘nilotinib’ (also known as Tasigna) on 12 people with advanced Parkinson’s or Dementia with Lewy bodies. After 6 months of treatment, the participants reported that they were functioning better on nilotinib.

Two larger, more carefully controlled phase 2 clinical trials of nilotinib in people with Parkinson’s were conducted, and both studies could not replicate the original findings (worse: the drug was barely detected in the brain). But now a biotech company called Inhibikase has developed a nilotinib-like agent that can access the brain and they are clinically testing it. This week they published preclinical data on their lead agent, IkT-148009.

In today’s post, we will look at the history of this story, review the recently published preclinical research from Inhibikase, and discuss the current clinical trial.

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Source: Wiki

Cancer.

There’s a happy topic to start a post with.

Cancer is a condition where cells in a specific part of the body start to grow and reproduce uncontrollably. There are lots of different types of cancers, but I would like to draw your attention to one in particular: Leukemia 

Leukemia is a particular branch of cancer. It is a broad term used for cancers of the body’s blood-forming tissues (these include the bone marrow and the lymphatic system).

The type of leukemia diagnosed depends entirely on the type of blood cell that becomes cancerous and on whether it grows quickly or slowly. Leukemia occurs most often in adults older than 55, but it is also the most common cancer in children younger than 15.

There are approximately 10,000 new cases of leukemia (that’s 27 every day), and ~5000 deaths associated with the condition in the UK (Click here for the source of these figures).

Interesting, but why are you starting this post by talking about leukemia? 

Continue reading “Being ABL to make a strong case for Inhibikase” →

The “What would I do” post? Part 3

~ Simon ~ 1 Comment

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Given the broad range of topics covered on the SoPD, I am very regularly asked “what would you do if you were diagnosed with Parkinson’s tomorrow?”

As a research scientist I am not comfortable answering this question, but I can see how it is a fair one to ask. I have previously attempted to address it (Click here and here to read those posts), and I point folks who do ask in the direction of those posts.

And as new research and more tools become available, I can see some value in revisiting this question.

So in today’s post, we will do the 2023 version of “what would I do if I were diagnosed with Parkinson’s tomorrow?”. 

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Source: BBC

Before starting, I would just like to thank readers for their kind words of support regarding my personal situation (see this previous post to understand what I am talking about).

My ward is now in full time care. But the guardianship order is still not in place which makes things rather problematic.

Source: EducationLawyers

The UK deputyship system seems to have become glacial in its process. I was advised that it would take 4-6 months, but we are now almost 12 months into the wait… and the care home bills are piling up very quickly. The resources to pay the bills are available, but without the deputyship being in place I am powerless to do anything about it.

Very frustrating. And certainly preventable.

And this is probably a good place to start this particular post.

What do you mean?

Continue reading “The “What would I do” post? Part 3” →

Monthly Research Review – December 2022

~ Simon ~ 9 Comments

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At the end of each month the SoPD writes a post which provides an overview of some of the major pieces of Parkinson’s-related research that were made available during December 2022.

The post is divided into 10 parts based on the type of research:

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So, what happened during December 2022?

In world news:

December 5th – The US National Ignition Facility achieved fusion ignition, a major milestone in the development of nuclear fusion power

 

December 7th – After substantial protests against China’s Zero-COVID policies, the Chinese government finally eased its COVID19 restrictions.

 

December 15th – Astronomers find that a pair of exoplanets orbiting the red dwarf star Kepler-138 are likely to be water worlds.

 

December 19th – At the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15), nearly 200 countries agree a “new” landmark deal to protect a third of the planet for nature by 2030 (more blah-blah as Greta would say)

December 19th – A new world record solar cell efficiency for a silicon-perovskite tandem solar cell was achieved, with scientists in Germany converting 32.5% of sunlight into electrical energy.

 

In the world of Parkinson’s research, a great deal of new research and news was reported:

In December 2022, there were 964 research articles added to the Pubmed website with the tag word “Parkinson’s” attached (10749 for all of 2022 so far). In addition, there was a wave to news reports regarding various other bits of Parkinson’s research activity (clinical trials, etc).

The top 5 pieces of Parkinson’s news

Continue reading “Monthly Research Review – December 2022” →

Getting serious about saunas

~ Simon ~ 4 Comments

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In 2017, researchers reported that regular episodes in a sauna can dramatically reduce one’s risk of developing neurodegenerative conditions, like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Recently, a member of the Parkinson’s community shared another feature of “sauna life” that helps them: they sleep better after a short sauna session right before bed.

In today’s post, we will discuss some of the research associated with the use of saunas.

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Source: Twitter

Fun fact: Finland has over 3 million saunas.

It is a rather impressive number considering that there is only 5.5 million people in the country. So important to the Finnish culture is the humble sauna that Unesco recently registered the sauna on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

You will find a sauna at every public swimming pool, most hotels, private residence, and summer homes by the lake or the sea in Finland.

They are everywhere.

Source: Finland.fi

Just as the sport of rugby is central to everything in New Zealand (seriously, it’s like a religion), sauna life is an important corner stone of Finnish society. They love it.

Does this actually have anything to do with Parkinson’s?

Continue reading “Getting serious about saunas” →

At last: Selnoflast

~ Simon ~ 11 Comments

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One of the most common questions I get from SoPD readers is what’s new with inflammasome research? Another version of this question is where are the clinical trials for NLRP3 inhibitors in Parkinson’s?

Readers have become very enchanted by this new class of anti-inflammatory drugs as a potential future treatment for Parkinson’s – and there is preclinical evidence to support this vibe. But the  clinical development of these experimental therapies has been slow. 

Recently, the pharmaceutical company Roche has initiated Phase 1b testing of their NLRP3 inhibitor (called Selnoflast) in people with Parkinson’s – the first in this class. 

In today’s post, we will discuss what the inflammasome is, how NLRP3 inhibitors work, and what the new clinical trial involves.

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On the 21st September 2020, the website for an Ireland-based biotech company called Inflazome suddenly disappeared. In its place was a single page, that stated the large pharmaceutical company Roche had purchased the biotech firm and taken on all of its inflammasome-targeting intellectual property (Source).

This was a big deal for folks who were watching the inflammasome research world. It suggested that the big players (pharma) were now interested in this space ($449 million interested in the case of Inflazome). And since then, there has been a rush of other pharma companies buying or developing inflammasome-targeting agents.

The Inflazome purchase was also interesting because the company was targeting Parkinson’s as one of their indications of interest.

And it would appear that Roche is now following up on this interest, having initiated a clinical trial program focused on inflammasomes in Parkinson’s.

Hang on a second. Remind me, what are inflammasomes?

Continue reading “At last: Selnoflast” →

Would the real James Parkinson please stand up

~ Simon ~ 3 Comments

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In today’s post, we will discuss a common mistake that is made in presentations about Parkinson’s disease. 

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I was recently listening to a public lecture on the topic of Parkinson’s, and the presenter (who shall remain nameless) started with a slide that showed this image:

And they began with the grand proclamation that “this is Dr James Parkinson, after whom the condition of Parkinson’s disease is named“.

As they said these words, my blood boiled.

Why?!?

There were two things terribly wrong with their statement.

  1. James was not a doctor – In the 18/19th centuries, “doctors” in England had to undergo formal university training to gain possession of a degree in medicine before they could begin to practice medicine. James never went to university, and thus, he was not a “doctor”. Rather, James was an apothecary – like his father – which is a medical professional who formulated and dispensed remedies. Today he would be called a ‘pharmacist’ or ‘chemist’. But back in the 17/1800s, apothecary prepared and administered medicines.

Ok. And what was number 2?

2. The image is not James Parkinson of Parkinson’s disease fame.

Oh, I see. Who is it then?

It is a James Parkinson. But it’s not our James Parkinson.

Huh?

Continue reading “Would the real James Parkinson please stand up” →

Can shaking hands fix shaking hands?

~ Simon ~ 5 Comments

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Novel treatments for Parkinson’s are being proposed on a regular basis, and I really like the way many are based on some pretty left field ideas (light buckets, I’m thinking of you here). Thinking outside the box is important to innovation and progress.

And some of those unconventional approaches are backed not only by historical precedent, but also scientific research. 

Recently, researchers at Stanford University have presented just such an idea: It involves vibrating gloves. 

In today’s post, we will explore what research has been conducted on vibrating hands in Parkinson’s, and discuss what comes next.

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Jean-Martin Charcot. Source: Wikipedia

There are few figures in the history of neurology as revered as Jean-Martin Charcot.

Widely considered the ‘Father of neurology’ and the ‘Napoleon of the neuroses‘, the importance of Charcot’s contribution to modern medicine is definitely not up for debate. One only needs to read the names of the students that he taught at the Salpêtrière Hospital (in Paris) to appreciate that everyone who became someone in the field of neurology passed through his classes.

Those names include Sigmund Freud (the founder of psychoanalysis), Joseph Babinski, Pierre Janet, Pierre Marie, Albert Londe, Charles-Joseph Bouchard, Georges Gilles de la Tourette (he of Tourette syndrome), Alfred Binet (inventor of the first intelligence test), and Albert Pitres.

The mere fact that these students of Charcot all have Wikipedia pages should speak volumes to his impact on the field. Heck, even the great William James – one of the founding fathers of Psychology – travelled all the way from America just to sit in on Charcot’s classes.

Charcot was one of the most sought-after instructors in all of Europe, and he is immortalised in a painting by André Brouillet:

Une_leçon_clinique_à_la_Salpêtrière

“Une leçon clinique à la Salpêtrière“ by André Brouillet (Source: Wikipedia)

Cool. But what does monsieur Charcot have to do with Parkinson’s?

Continue reading “Can shaking hands fix shaking hands?” →

The trans-omics of -omics

~ Simon ~ 1 Comment

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“Precision medicine” is an emerging model of therapeutic intervention in which treatment options are tailored to a specific subtype of a condition or even on an individual patient-based metric that involves an intergrated analysis of his/her comprehensive “-omics” data.

Many different methods of stratifying patients have been proposed and many of them involve adding the word “-omics” to the end of their labels. But these efforts may start to pay big dividends in clinical trials exploring potentially disease modifying therapies in the not too distant future, including in the case of Parkinson’s.

In today’s post, we will look at one such clinical study exploring better patient stratification in Parkinson’s.

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The original “Make America Great Again”. Source: NYTimes

I think it all started with Ronald Regan.

But I’m not really too sure.

Or more specifically, not Reagan himself, but rather the 1980s conservative radio broadcaster Paul Harvey.

Paul Harvey. Source: Youtube

You see, Harvey was the person who apparently came up with the portmanteau “Reaganomics“. People liked the play on words and thought that it was a clever little label to explain a rather complex subject. But the name kicked off a barrage of imitators with every man and his dog coming up with their own version of -omics.

And scientists really got carried away with the adoption of different kinds of -omics. Every field of research it seems has continuously been inventing new “-omics”. There’s even a wikipedia page for all the different kinds of -omics, and their use has changed our speecheomics (and yes, that really is an actual word).

I am used your posts having odd starting points, but where exactly is this intro going?

Well, I needed to introduce that idea of “-omics” in order for the rest of this post to work.

Oh I see. So what do we mean by -omics?

Continue reading “The trans-omics of -omics” →

Disease modification-ish

~ Simon ~ 3 Comments

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Semantics matters – particularly regarding our communication on ideas like “disease modification” for neurodegenerative conditions.

There is a big difference between “disease eradication” (zero worldwide incidence), “disease correction” (the halting/reversing of progression) and “disease modification” (improving the trajectory of disease).

Recently, researchers in Japan have demonstrated “disease modification” in motor neuron disease with a form of vitamin B12.

In today’s post, we will review this new research and discuss how it could be relevant to Parkinson’s.

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Source: LexFridman

During labourious household chores (think: washing the dishes, hanging laundry, or spending time with my daughter), I am usually listening to an audiobook or podcast. One favourite podcast is that of Dr Lex Fridman – an AI researchers at MIT who interviews interesting individuals and discusses a broad range of topics (from neuroscience to weird stuff like aliens, and the meaning of life often gets dragged in as well).

In episode #158, Lex spoke with Zev Weinstein (15 year old son of Prof Eric Weinstein) and I was really struck with how eloquently this young man spoke about philosophy and science, but also the communication of ideas.

Source: Youtube

And at one point in the discussion, Zev said: “Many underestimate the extent to which language and communication really impacts and shapes the ideas and thoughts that are being communicated, and I think if we are willing to accept imperfect labels to categorize particular people or thoughts, in some sense we are corrupting an abstraction in order to represent it and communicate about it. And I think, as we have discussed, those abstractions are particularly important when everything is on fire” – Zev Weinstein (18.03 minutes into the video). The interview occurred in early 2021 around the events of 6th January, hence the “everything on fire” reference.

But the words on “corrupting an abstraction in order to represent it and communicate about it” resonated with me.

And it got me thinking.

Thinking about what?

Continue reading “Disease modification-ish” →